Blow Drying Support Thread

LiLi

Well-Known Member
This a support thread for those of us who blow dry. Whether natural or relaxed, please feel free to share all your blow dry experiences and tips. Ask any questions that you have so we can help each other. Pics are always welcome but not required.

It would be great if you could share the following information initially:

-Relaxed or Natural
-Blow dryer used
-Products used when blow drying
-How often you blow dry
-What products do you use to moisturize
(if any) after blow drying?
-Do you have any tips to share?
 

icsonia22

Well-Known Member
I'm in here!!!!

-I'm natural
-I'm using the revair
-Right now I use chi silk serum. I'm on the hunt for a moisturizer that won't cause reversion or something that will keep my hair moisturized after blow drying.
-i plan on blow drying at least once a month because I wash my hair once a month. I may blow dry more often depending on if I do a henna/indigo treatment
-i have had a good experience with taliah waajid products in the past. I'm going to try that and see how my hair responds. I may use it pre blow drying to avoid reversion or blow dry, moisturize and then put my hair back in the revair for 30 more seconds
-if you're using the revair, remember that the high heat setting is only 800 watts and the tension level setting achieves the best stretch level
 

LiLi

Well-Known Member
I just started my blow drying journey when I received the RevAir. Previously, I never had success with achieving smooth-feeling hair that wasn’t tangled and dry after blow drying. I always did the tension method because I never had success with brushes and comb attachments. But even with that, my hair stuck together and felt dry.

1. I am natural.
2. I use the RevAir.
3. I am trying out a bunch of heat protectants that have built up in my stash — but my favorites since using the RevAir so far are the Kerastase Therapiste Serum and the Kerastase Nutri Thermique. (Not used together though.)
4. I blow dry my crown area once or twice a week since getting the RevAir.
5. After the second day, I use the Soultanicals Slip n Slide Detangling Glide mixed with a little bit of honey and avocado butter. I am going to try different combinations though to see what works best because I have a lot of products that I want to use up this year. @icsonia22 I like your idea and I am going to try that this week.
6. My tip would be to make sure to take pictures of your hair at the same stage each time to identify progress. I plan to take pics after the conditioner has been rinsed out and after the blow dry is complete.

I am looking forward to us discussing our experiences and thank you @icsonia22 for suggesting this support thread!!
 

icsonia22

Well-Known Member
Reposted from the Shea butter 2019 thread

I think that I've made a discovery...or maybe someone else discovered this and I'm just becoming hip to the knowledge. A few nights ago, I blew out my hair with the revair on the highest heat and tension setting using only chi silk serum. Then I did a light press with my babyliss prima 3000 flat iron on 340 degrees. My hair wasn't dried out but it wasn't moisturized either. I decided to experiment with Shea butter on super stretched hair, so I put an ok amount on it and did 2 french braids. After a day, I noticed that the braids felt smooth instead of dry so I took the experiment a step further and went crazy with the Shea butter. I melted it down and drenched it on my hair in small sections. Then I put my hair back into 2 french braids. I took them out last night and wore my hair in a ponytail out into the cold winter air thinking that would bethe final straw that made my hair feel dry. NOPE! Hair is greasy as all get out but it feels amazing! I can't even tell that I haven't used a moisturizer. My hair is soft and moisturized as if I sealed in the moisture of s curl minus the automatic reversion that would've happened. Bonus points go out to Shea butter because I can manipulate my hair without breakage. As I was taking my hair down last night and putting it into 4 pinned down twist before bed, a shed hair just slipped right on out without trying to take any friends with it.

Now on the flip side, the bottom half of my hair is growing out from an undercut. I used a non glycerin based moisturizer on it and sealed it in with Shea butter and the hair back there feels rough to the touch. I couldn't fully stretch that part of my hair due to the length.

So from my experiment, it seems that there is some kind of positive correlation between the excessive use of Shea butter on super stretched hair and moisture retention on stretched hair that doesn't lead to reversion.
 

LiLi

Well-Known Member
Reposted from the Shea butter 2019 thread

I think that I've made a discovery...or maybe someone else discovered this and I'm just becoming hip to the knowledge. A few nights ago, I blew out my hair with the revair on the highest heat and tension setting using only chi silk serum. Then I did a light press with my babyliss prima 3000 flat iron on 340 degrees. My hair wasn't dried out but it wasn't moisturized either. I decided to experiment with Shea butter on super stretched hair, so I put an ok amount on it and did 2 french braids. After a day, I noticed that the braids felt smooth instead of dry so I took the experiment a step further and went crazy with the Shea butter. I melted it down and drenched it on my hair in small sections. Then I put my hair back into 2 french braids. I took them out last night and wore my hair in a ponytail out into the cold winter air thinking that would bethe final straw that made my hair feel dry. NOPE! Hair is greasy as all get out but it feels amazing! I can't even tell that I haven't used a moisturizer. My hair is soft and moisturized as if I sealed in the moisture of s curl minus the automatic reversion that would've happened. Bonus points go out to Shea butter because I can manipulate my hair without breakage. As I was taking my hair down last night and putting it into 4 pinned down twist before bed, a shed hair just slipped right on out without trying to take any friends with it.

Now on the flip side, the bottom half of my hair is growing out from an undercut. I used a non glycerin based moisturizer on it and sealed it in with Shea butter and the hair back there feels rough to the touch. I couldn't fully stretch that part of my hair due to the length.

So from my experiment, it seems that there is some kind of positive correlation between the excessive use of Shea butter on super stretched hair and moisture retention on stretched hair that doesn't lead to reversion.
Thank you for this! I am planning on mixing up some mango, shea and avocado butters as soon as I get a mixer. But I will try the shea butter alone after I blow dry to see if it gives me a more moisturized feeling.
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
Not sure how long I will blow dry since I'm new to this. I will be monitoring my hair for a few months to see if I am having issues. Currently I am blow drying on a tension setting of 6 and low heat for about 1 minute to stretch. My goal is only to stretch and not dry to put i flat twists.

-Relaxed or Natural:
...... Natural

-Blow dryer used:
........ Rev Air

-Products used when blow drying
.......Before Blow Dry
1. Oil my ends with castor oil
2. TGIN leave-in
3. Mane Choice Heat Protectant Serum
.........After Blow Dry
1. Mane Magic Oil Spray
2. TGIN Moisturizer mixed with TGIN leave-in

-How often you blow dry
..... Once a Week

-What products do you use to moisturize (if any) after blow drying?
......TGIN Moisturizer mixed with TGIN leave-in


-Do you have any tips to share?
Not at this time.
 

Nini90012

Active Member
Natural 4a/b BSB hair

Blow dryer - RevAir Tension 6, High Heat
Just started blowdry journey after receiving RevAir

Products used before blow drying -
Eva NYC 10 en 1 spray or Kenra Blowdry Spray

How often you blow dry - Once a Week

What products do you use to moisturize
(if any) after blow drying? - Safflower Oil on ends at night before bed. Third night use Nairobi styling foam or Mielle Organics Twisting Souffle prior to pincurling or rod rolling hair.

Do you have any tips to share? - RevAir until section is dry then before removing section from the dryer, change to cool setting for 10 additional seconds. Hair comes out smoother. For styling, immediately pincurl or roll the section on a rod before you move on to dry the next section.

**Ladies please share your styling routine and leave in conditioning products as well.
 

Karmi

Well-Known Member
I'm in. Thanks for starting this thread!
I plan on being a straight hair natural through 2019 to see if I can hold on to my growth. I've had to cut off most all of my progress the last 2 years because of single strand knots and thin ends. Obviously something's not working.

-Relaxed or Natural
Natural 4a BSL

-Blow dryer used
Revlon blow dry brush. Will be using my revair going forward when it arrives.
I didn't like the brush, my ends dried and tangled before I got down the length of my hair. I'm giving it away.

-Products used when blow drying
For this blow out I used kinky curly leavin and fantasia heat protectant serum. Thats all I had on hand since I rarely ever blow out my hair. I ordere It's a 10 keritin leavin, will use this next week with my revair.

-How often you blow dry
I plan to blow dry weekly or every other week if I don't feel like washing my hair.

-What products do you use to moisturize
(if any) after blow drying?
I'm going to use up my stash of leav-in's and diy shea butter mix and other hair butters I currently own.

-Do you have any tips to share?
I'm creating a new regimen to support the health of my hair to minimize damage from regular heat usage. I'm incorporating weekly olaplex treatments (#2), deep conditioning with steam and keeping weekly hair notes on the products I used and how my hair behaved and felt.

Pic of my blow out using the revlon bursh and light straighten
IMG_2404.JPG
 

LiLi

Well-Known Member
Not sure how long I will blow dry since I'm new to this. I will be monitoring my hair for a few months to see if I am having issues. Currently I am blow drying on a tension setting of 6 and low heat for about 1 minute to stretch. My goal is only to stretch and not dry to put i flat twists.

-Relaxed or Natural:
...... Natural

-Blow dryer used:
........ Rev Air

-Products used when blow drying
.......Before Blow Dry
1. Oil my ends with castor oil
2. TGIN leave-in
3. Mane Choice Heat Protectant Serum
.........After Blow Dry
1. Mane Magic Oil Spray
2. TGIN Moisturizer mixed with TGIN leave-in

-How often you blow dry
..... Once a Week

-What products do you use to moisturize (if any) after blow drying?
......TGIN Moisturizer mixed with TGIN leave-in


-Do you have any tips to share?
Not at this time.

I will have to look up that TGIN moisturizer.

I hope your blow dry regimen is a success!
 

LiLi

Well-Known Member
Natural 4a/b BSB hair

Blow dryer - RevAir Tension 6, High Heat
Just started blowdry journey after receiving RevAir

Products used before blow drying -
Eva NYC 10 en 1 spray or Kenra Blowdry Spray

How often you blow dry - Once a Week

What products do you use to moisturize
(if any) after blow drying? - Safflower Oil on ends at night before bed. Third night use Nairobi styling foam or Mielle Organics Twisting Souffle prior to pincurling or rod rolling hair.

Do you have any tips to share? - RevAir until section is dry then before removing section from the dryer, change to cool setting for 10 additional seconds. Hair comes out smoother. For styling, immediately pincurl or roll the section on a rod before you move on to dry the next section.

**Ladies please share your styling routine and leave in conditioning products as well.
Safflower oil ... hmmm. I will have to put that on my list to try. Thank you for sharing the tip. I will try the cool setting after my hair dries to see if my hair feels any smoother. Right now, it feels so smooth that it won’t stay in a bun. So I had to put some avocado butter and oil on my hair to give it grip.
 

LiLi

Well-Known Member
I'm in. Thanks for starting this thread!
I plan on being a straight hair natural through 2019 to see if I can hold on to my growth. I've had to cut off most all of my progress the last 2 years because of single strand knots and thin ends. Obviously something's not working.

-Relaxed or Natural
Natural 4a BSL

-Blow dryer used
Revlon blow dry brush. Will be using my revair going forward when it arrives.
I didn't like the brush, my ends dried and tangled before I got down the length of my hair. I'm giving it away.

-Products used when blow drying
For this blow out I used kinky curly leavin and fantasia heat protectant serum. Thats all I had on hand since I rarely ever blow out my hair. I ordere It's a 10 keritin leavin, will use this next week with my revair.

-How often you blow dry
I plan to blow dry weekly or every other week if I don't feel like washing my hair.

-What products do you use to moisturize
(if any) after blow drying?
I'm going to use up my stash of leav-in's and diy shea butter mix and other hair butters I currently own.

-Do you have any tips to share?
I'm creating a new regimen to support the health of my hair to minimize damage from regular heat usage. I'm incorporating weekly olaplex treatments (#2), deep conditioning with steam and keeping weekly hair notes on the products I used and how my hair behaved and felt.

Pic of my blow out using the revlon bursh and light straighten
View attachment 440675
Your hair looks so full!! I think you will looove the RevAir. Also, just-in-case you don’t end up liking it — Reniece has an old video on YouTube where she gives a tip on how to blow dry natural hair. It may be helpful for you.

Also, your regimen sounds really good. I am blow drying for the same reason. I think I can retain more length if I blow dry my hair vs. air drying. I am praying that this works out for all of us!!
 

icsonia22

Well-Known Member
I went to Walmart today to get some taliah waajid great detanger conditioner and they didn't have any so I settled for lotta body blow out lotion. It claims to keep the hair straight for 7 days but I don't foresee reversion being a problem with all this Shea butter I slapped in my head. I just hope the lotta body works as a good moisturizer. I'm a tad bit skeptical because the second ingredient is glycerin. As much as I love my s curl, I definitely wouldn't spray that on my hair before blow drying due to the glycerin but I'll give lotta body a shot.

I plan to henna and indigo my hair soon, but my hair feels so good right now that I don't want to do much to it.
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
I went to Walmart today to get some taliah waajid great detanger conditioner and they didn't have any so I settled for lotta body blow out lotion. It claims to keep the hair straight for 7 days but I don't foresee reversion being a problem with all this Shea butter I slapped in my head. I just hope the lotta body works as a good moisturizer. I'm a tad bit skeptical because the second ingredient is glycerin. As much as I love my s curl, I definitely wouldn't spray that on my hair before blow drying due to the glycerin but I'll give lotta body a shot.

I plan to henna and indigo my hair soon, but my hair feels so good right now that I don't want to do much to it.
Let us know how it goes
 

natural in ATL

15+ years natural
I’m joining! I bought the Revair but wasn’t happy with the results I saw based on the price tag. I returned it and bought the revlon blow dry brush - and the results are the same with either one.

-Relaxed or Natural: natural
-Blow dryer used: Revlon blow dry brush
-Products used when blow drying: so far, I’ve used the Form leave in spray. It has my hair feeling very soft.
-How often you blow dry: it’ll be once every 2-3 weeks
-What products do you use to moisturize
(if any) after blow drying? Design essentials silk spray, looking for more ideas here.
-Do you have any tips to share? Not yet, just starting this journey!
 

icsonia22

Well-Known Member
I hennaed my hair today for about 7 hours and then proceeded to cowash with Aussie moist miracle moisture conditioner. This was by far my easiest wash day ever. My curls were clumping so well I had to question my curl pattern for a second. My hair was super easy to detangle due to my hair previously being stretched. That's where the ease ended.

After putting my hair in twist, I fumbled around with the revair for 20 minutes before finally getting it to come on. Apparently you have to put the hose connector in a certain way or else it'll just blink. After getting that done, I played around with some product combinations.

I started with lotta body blow out lotion and chi silk serum. Lotta body is not for me. My hair felt drier than it did the last time I used the revair and my hair was sticking together despite being detangled. Then I tried the same combo with a little Shea butter. I got the same result. Then I quit using the lotta body altogether and took a chance on the s curl activator spray. It left my hair soft but the ends were still a crispy mess. I had to dry my hair, respray with s curl and then dry again to get them feeling reasonably soft.

I decided that was too much work for mediocre results so I used a smaller section, sprayed s curl, made sure the hair was thoroughly detangled with each section, blowdried and plaited the section. I finally got soft non sticky hair that could be manipulated easily. Looking back on it though, the s curl was really for me to just say I moisturized my hair. I could've gotten the same results with just chi silk serum which is what I did the first time I used the revair.

When I was done drying my hair and going back over the crispy sections, I melted some Shea butter and heavily saturated my plaits and roots with it. You can't even tell that I struggled now from the way that my hair feels. It's soul glow greasy but oh so soft and moisturized. If you don't mind being greasy for a few days, go plum crazy with the Shea butter after you blow dry. Stretched hair and Shea butter are a match made in heaven.
 

icsonia22

Well-Known Member
I'm so ready to take these plats down but it's supposed to rain today so I'll have to be patient and wait until tomorrow. You guys my hair feels soooooo good. The shea butter has absorbed into my hair so it's not really greasy anymore but it feels incredibly moisturized. I can't wrap my hair around the science of it because I've always known Shea butter to be a sealant. I wonder if the s curl I sprayed on my hair prior to blow drying had something to do with it but I remember how good my hair felt the last time I blow dried with just chi silk serum. After that session, I had saturated my stretched hair in Shea butter and it felt great after the initial grease factor.

Keep in mind that my hair and moisturized normally don't ever go in the same sentence unless s curl is involved. That's the only thing that has ever worked for me but of course it makes my hair shrink. The shea butter weighs it down thus keeping it stretched.
 

LiLi

Well-Known Member
I'm so ready to take these plats down but it's supposed to rain today so I'll have to be patient and wait until tomorrow. You guys my hair feels soooooo good. The shea butter has absorbed into my hair so it's not really greasy anymore but it feels incredibly moisturized. I can't wrap my hair around the science of it because I've always known Shea butter to be a sealant. I wonder if the s curl I sprayed on my hair prior to blow drying had something to do with it but I remember how good my hair felt the last time I blow dried with just chi silk serum. After that session, I had saturated my stretched hair in Shea butter and it felt great after the initial grease factor.

Keep in mind that my hair and moisturized normally don't ever go in the same sentence unless s curl is involved. That's the only thing that has ever worked for me but of course it makes my hair shrink. The shea butter weighs it down thus keeping it stretched.
I love your observations! So what would you continue to use? The scurl or the chi silk? I am deep conditioning now and am trying to figure out what I want to use. I may just try doing it on cool without anything on and when it’s mostly dry, put on some shea butter or mango butter. I conditioned my braided section as well so I will definitely be slathering on some shea butter after I blow dry them.
 

icsonia22

Well-Known Member
I love your observations! So what would you continue to use? The scurl or the chi silk? I am deep conditioning now and am trying to figure out what I want to use. I may just try doing it on cool without anything on and when it’s mostly dry, put on some shea butter or mango butter. I conditioned my braided section as well so I will definitely be slathering on some shea butter after I blow dry them.

In the future, I'll probably just stick with chi silk serum. However, I will definitely heavily saturate my hair in whipped or melted Shea butter after the fact. It's the key to how well my hair feels and the lack of reversion despite 90% humidity levels here in NC. Make sure you butter your hair really well from roots to tips so the shed hairs will slide out and not get caught on other hairs.
 

LiLi

Well-Known Member
Welp. That was a dub due to my laziness last night by not wanting to blow dry before I went to bed; or it could be because I blow dried on the cool setting only. My hair didn’t get stretched as much as it normally does and didn’t feel as smooth.

So this pic is before I blow dried. I didn’t put any moisturizer on after I rinsed everything out last night (Fresh aloe vera gel, raw honey and refined avocado oil) . My hair was in bantu knots overnight and still damp when I took them down this morning.


D3B91D00-E6F3-44AC-93A2-2557A6FDB7E4.jpeg

This is after blow drying on cool with a tension setting of 6. It’s stretched a little but felt tangled. Don’t mind the braid chilling — I keep the back plaited 99% of the time.

E9E185BC-FCEC-4331-A1DE-1CCD29E4115A.jpeg


This is after slathering on some shea butter and spritzing with a little water and putting a tiny bit of diluted Beauty and Love Rose conditioner on the top. I was trying to get rid of the halo fuzz but failed.

1CEC4B6E-08CE-4401-AFD8-A3944A5F5B49.jpeg

Next time I will try it on cool right after washing and use the Soultanicals Slip N Slide leave-in. If that doesn’t work, then I will just go back to always blow-drying with the heat setting.
 

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icsonia22

Well-Known Member
Welp. That was a dub due to my laziness last night by not wanting to blow dry before I went to bed; or it could be because I blow dried on the cool setting only. My hair didn’t get stretched as much as it normally does and didn’t feel as smooth.

So this pic is before I blow dried. I didn’t put any moisturizer on after I rinsed everything out last night (Fresh aloe vera gel, raw honey and refined avocado oil) . My hair was in bantu knots overnight and still damp when I took them down this morning.


View attachment 441105

This is after blow drying on cool with a tension setting of 6. It’s stretched a little but felt tangled. Don’t mind the braid chilling — I keep the back plaited 99% of the time.

View attachment 441109


This is after slathering on some shea butter and spritzing with a little water and putting a tiny bit of diluted Beauty and Love Rose conditioner on the top. I was trying to get rid of the halo fuzz but failed.

View attachment 441111

Next time I will try it on cool right after washing and use the Soultanicals Slip N Slide leave-in. If that doesn’t work, then I will just go back to always blow-drying with the heat setting.
It looks really smooth in the pic where you pulled it back. Have you ever used a serum with the revair? I think the serum provides lubrication to ease the tangles. Your hair is pretty btw. My hair only clumps on rare and random occasions.
 

LiLi

Well-Known Member
It looks really smooth in the pic where you pulled it back. Have you ever used a serum with the revair? I think the serum provides lubrication to ease the tangles. Your hair is pretty btw. My hair only clumps on rare and random occasions.
Thank you!! I had to brush it and put it in a tighter bun to make it look at little better.

For serums, I have used the Living Proof Perfecting Blow Dry Concentrate and Kerastase Oleo Relax. I have it on my list to try them again because the results were just ok. I just tried each on very small sections.

I also used the Kerastase Therapiste serum which I loved but it’s a serum and a cream so I don’t know if that counts. Lol.

So do you think serums may prevent tangles if I use only cool air?
 

Karmi

Well-Known Member
I washed my hair today and used the revair to dry. I am in love with this machine! It got my hair as straight as I would want it. I've never been into bone straight hair so this perfect. I'm going to try to stretch washday to every 2 weeks. It was a lot of work prepping my hair, lol.

I use soultanicals can't believe it's not butta as a leavin and my hair kinda came out hard. Oil helped it soften up. Next time I'll use Its a 10 keritin leave in.
IMG_2419.jpg
 

LiLi

Well-Known Member
I washed my hair today and used the revair to dry. I am in love with this machine! It got my hair as straight as I would want it. I've never been into bone straight hair so this perfect. I'm going to try to stretch washday to every 2 weeks. It was a lot of work prepping my hair, lol.

I use soultanicals can't believe it's not butta as a leavin and my hair kinda came out hard. Oil helped it soften up. Next time I'll use Its a 10 keritin leave in.
View attachment 441143
Very pretty! I am so glad you love it!! Your hair looks sooo straight!!! What settings did you use on the RevAir?
 

icsonia22

Well-Known Member
I washed my hair today and used the revair to dry. I am in love with this machine! It got my hair as straight as I would want it. I've never been into bone straight hair so this perfect. I'm going to try to stretch washday to every 2 weeks. It was a lot of work prepping my hair, lol.

I use soultanicals can't believe it's not butta as a leavin and my hair kinda came out hard. Oil helped it soften up. Next time I'll use Its a 10 keritin leave in.
View attachment 441143
Gorgeous results
 

icsonia22

Well-Known Member
Thank you!! I had to brush it and put it in a tighter bun to make it look at little better.

For serums, I have used the Living Proof Perfecting Blow Dry Concentrate and Kerastase Oleo Relax. I have it on my list to try them again because the results were just ok. I just tried each on very small sections.

I also used the Kerastase Therapiste serum which I loved but it’s a serum and a cream so I don’t know if that counts. Lol.

So do you think serums may prevent tangles if I use only cool air?
I think that serums will help cause some lubrication between the strands so that they can slide past each other and not form knots. I don't know how that will work with cool air though. Most people use cool to seal the final result. Experiment with it though and tell us what you find. If I use this on my daughter's hair, I would most definitely use the cool setting only.
 

icsonia22

Well-Known Member
How is everyone's hair holding up from reversion? Mine has reverted a little (that's the chance you take when your product contains glycerin) but it's still stretched and not tangled. I can still pull shed hairs out without them snagging. I actually love the tad bit of shrinkage because my hair looks so much fuller. You can barely even tell that I'm growing out an undercut in the back. I have been twisting my hair up or putting it into 4 large braids before bed. This would normally be too much manipulation for my fine strands, but the combo of the Shea lubrication and the revair stretch allows me to do things I couldn't normally do.
 
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